338 Lapua Reloading

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cityslicker

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Hi Everyone.

I have a Two 338 Lapua Mag both with 1-10 twist
1) Sako M995 .338 Lapua-
2) H-S Percission Pro Series 2000 LA .338 Lapua (new never shot)

these are the .338 Lapua in standard hunting stock - non tactical. I had a large supply of Winchester failsafe bullets 230 gr. but am now out of this supply and considering changing to 250 or 225 gr Barns TSX or the Tipped TSX boat tail. My primary application will be hunting Moose and Caribou.

my old load

Reloder 22 - 98.4gr
Fail safe 230 gr
Lapua Brass
Fed large Mag Primers

my new load

I fired 2 rounds with
Reloder 22 - 94 gr
250 gr Barns TSX
CCI primer (Different Primer as Fed was out of stock)
Lapua brass
the primer had a bit of mushroom - so I have them too hot.

My questions are,

1) Bullet
Barns TSX or Tipped TSX
225 or 250 gr
Does anyone have the Ballistics for this?
Should I stay with the 225 for a flatter shot? Or go 250 for my interest in learning to shoot long distances. I plan on attending a shooting school like thompsons long range shooting.

2) Powder
choice? - Reloader 22 or what Powder will really dial me in? Ballistic info?

I was concerned that the Nosler Accubond and Partition would not retain weight.

3) What optic should I buy for the H-S? I have spent 8 hours trying to find answers, but have not really found what I am looking for.

Look forward to talking about this and learning from everyone.!!
 
Welcome to CGN.

If you are interested in very long range shooting I think you should consider the Sierra 300 gr MK. This bullet will outperform the lighter ones at long range.

For game the choice between a 225 and a 250 gr TSX probably doesn't make much difference. Just decide how fast you want your bullet to go and pick one accordingly.

Primers are difficult to read pressure from. Measure the webs of your cases and use a chronograph to help determine your maximum load.

A good on line ballistics program is: http://www.eskimo.com/~jbm/calculations/traj/traj.html
You can plug in the bullets you have listed from their pull down list, and just enter the pertinent data and you are good to go.

I think you will find that slower powders will give you better performance than Re-22. Re-25, H-1000 or H-870 would be the powders I would consider first.
 
Change any one component and you have to work up the load again.
There's data on Barne's site, but little ballistics. Barne's TSX bullets require Barnes data. Being solid copper they don't fly the same way as a lead cored bullet.
 
Ditto what Boomer mentioned with the 300gr bullets. I like Retumbo powder but have had lots of success with R-22. I find keeping the loads mild are easier on the barrel and brass. Try a ladder test with you loads and find the happy spot and go from there. A Leupold Mark 4 would probably fit both your budget and skill level. Depending on where you want to end up you'll will pay $ wise. Hope this helps, you'll find a million opinions on here. Learn to disseminate fast.
 
Talk to Rick and Troy at ATRS. They're both running 338 L.Imps (or LAI as Rick prefers) and the 300 SMKs. I believe they're using US869 powder. You might also consider poking around the Precision Rifle forum for more info.
 
I have a Sako 995 TRG-S, just like yours. I prefer R25 and Retumbo in mine, with 250 gr bullets. Not Barnes though. Nothing against them, I just use other bullets. With X bullets you need to be very careful of the distance between the bullet and the lands, and they show higher pressure faster then other controlled expansion bullets, in my experience. - dan
 
Thanks guys, I like the info, but what about actual loads or bullet preference. I understand the fact that no 2 guns are the same but I really feel lost trying to find a good load for my choice of new bullets. Barns offers alot of challenges compair to others.
 
Use the 250 grainers, start at .050" off the lands. Be sure your brass is trimmed to 2.714" minimum, 2.724" max. Retumbo first choice.
 
H1000 and the 250 grainers in both your rifles. Retumbo may give slightly higher velocity but its gotta be "the" dirty powder out there, its just rank.

You could also try US869 but you will likely find its to slow for a 1-10 twist and 250 grainers. Those running 1-9.4 and shooting 300gr rounds are getting incredible results from US869.
 
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